Second Chances
by Irish Rose1
Summary: This story picks up where the series finale ALL GOOD THINGS left off.
1. Default Chapter

Homefront does not belong to me. River Run, Ohio as well as all of its residents belong to Bernard Lechowick and Lynn Marie Latham.

This story picks up with Jeff and Ginger Metcalf where the final episode "All Good Things" left off.

* * *

They stood in the dining car and couldn't believe what they just heard.

After struggling to get back to the Indians after a knee injury knocked him out of the 1947 Cleveland lineup and off the team as well, this was Jeff's chance to make it back to the majors. And the brand-new Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey Metcalf stood together in the dining car of the train that was taking the groom to Wichita Kansas to join the Cleveland Indians farm team.

Father Dreher had just performed the Rite of Holy Matrimony after strong objections to marrying them so hastily. But Ginger won that argument because she and Jeff _had_ completed all of their pre-Cana classes and the Banns had been posted. He pointed out to her that she was on her fourth engagement, but in her heart Ginger was never really engaged to anyone but Jeff. Charlie Hailey didn't count because he jilted her when he returned from overseas with a bride and she never loved Arthur Shillhab.

Jeff still sported the shiner that resulted from a punch from Arthur when Ginger broke her engagement to _him_ to marry Jeff. It took them so long to reach their sudden wedding day because they were both so stubborn. As much as they loved each other, they both wanted different things and it was so difficult for them to see how important those things were to the other at times.

But in the end, Jeff was given a gift from God. Well, Coach Zelnick anyway. Not only was he given a chance to try out for a spot on the team, but because of Coach's keen sense of observation a chance to set things right with Ginger before she went through with her wedding to Arthur.

So there they stood in the dining car and she looked at her new husband in frustration. "Eight hours." Was all she could think to say before they followed the porter so she could get her tickets.

She knew that people were staring at her in her mother's wedding dress as they got settled in their seats but she didn't care because she and Jeff were finally married. It was just their luck that he hadn't been assigned a berth, at the very least but he'd told her that the minors didn't pay for roomettes or berths.

Eight whole hours or more before they could do what Ginger had not allowed them to do since Hank's wedding day because she got a good scare a few weeks later and thought that she might have been, as she'd told Jeff "anticipating a blessed event".

The day of the wedding was hard for the both of them because Jeff watched as his brother married Sarah Brewer and it had broken his heart. He and Sarah became closer than they should have after Hank went overseas and he had fallen in love with his brother's girlfriend. Ginger was forced to watch her former fiancé with his new wife and the final humiliation was catching Sarah's wedding bouquet.

She only wanted Jeff to hide her that afternoon so she wouldn't cry in front of the other wedding guests and embarrass herself even more. What she didn't know at the time was that she found the man she would marry and he was the only man she'd ever given herself to. Never mind that he was Linda's little brother and Ginger was two years older than he was, they were meant to be together.

She hadn't realized that she'd fallen asleep until she heard her groom's low voice in her ear. "Ginger, Hank's in Chicago."

She must have been more tired than she thought because what he said made no sense. She sat up and blinked her eyes as she tried to wake. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't you get it? The porter said that we might have better luck with a berth or a roomette when we got to Chicago. I can call Hank at our next stop and see if he can get a room for us on the train to Wichita." He had a grin on his face and she knew what he was thinking.

"Put it in neutral buster." She smiled back as she felt her cheeks redden like a couple of Lemo tomatoes.

His low voice got husky as he leaned closer to her ear. "Ginger, we _are_ married."

"I know that, but we can't exactly do anything about it in front of God and humanity now can we?"

"That's why I'll talk to Hank." His eyes sparkled with mischief and Ginger cursed the hours they would have to wait.

"Call him."

"I thought you'd see things my way." His smile got bigger and in front of God and humanity, kissed his new wife.

When they reached Cleveland, Jeff was told that they wouldn't be there for very long and he asked the porter where the closest telephone was. He was directed to a booth near by and he dropped a nickel in the slot before he dialed Hank's number and waited as it rang.

"Hello?" He heard his older brother's voice on the other end of the line and realized how much he'd missed him.

"Hank, it's me." He smiled.

"Jeff!" Hank laughed. "I just talked to you a couple of days ago."

Jeff looked at his watch. "Hank I have to make this quick and I promise to explain it all to you when I get to Chicago."

"Chicago? Jeff, what's going on?"

He looked again. "I need you to do me a big favor. I have to change trains in Chicago to get to Wichita and I was wondering if you could see if there are any open berths or roomettes. If there _are_, could you book one for me and I swear I'll pay you back."

"Sure, little brother. What train will you be on?"

"The North Shore Special and it leaves at 2:30. I'm sorry it's so late."

"That's all right, I don't sleep much anyway." He said quietly.

Jeff knew that he hadn't slept well since Sarah died. "Hank, are you all right?"

"You worry too much. I just haven't gotten used to sleeping without her yet." He admitted.

"I'm sorry."

"All aboard!"

"I have to go Hank, my train's leaving."

"I'll see what I can do slugger. See you in a few hours."

"Thanks." And he hung up the receiver. He made a dash for the train and got on board just as it began to move. When he got back to his seat, Ginger was lying across her seat _and_ his and she was sound asleep. "Ginger, you're in my seat."

She didn't move and he smiled before he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Mrs. Metcalf, you're in my seat."

Ginger opened her eyes and smiled as she sat up. "Did you talk to Hank?" She asked as she moved over and he sat down.

He took her hand and smiled. "He'll see what he can do."

"Good."

Jeff looked at her. "Ginger, I'm probably stupid for asking but did you bring anything else besides what you're wearing?"

She snuggled up next to him and nodded. "Before Father Dreher and I found you, I gave my suitcase to the porter."

"Not that I mind." He felt the need to explain as he looked into her eyes. "You look beautiful, Mrs. Metcalf."

"Eight hours, Jeff. We have to wait eight whole hours." She sighed.

"We waited this long, we can wait a little longer."

She sat up and looked at him before she laughed. "You were always trying to talk me into it and now you can wait?"

"We're married." He didn't feel the need to elaborate because he knew Ginger would understand.


	2. The North Shore Special

"Chicago! This is Chicago!" The porter called as he walked through the packed passenger car. "End of the line folks!"

His eyes were open and Jeff tried to wake up and remember where in the heck he was. It didn't take him long to figure it out because Ginger's head was on his shoulder and she was sound asleep.

"Ginger, you need to wake up. We're in Chicago." Jeff took her hand and squeezed it.

"I'm so tired." She said as she opened her eyes and sat up.

"I know, but if Hank comes through for us we'll have a place to sleep on the way to Wichita."

She smiled at him. "This is some honeymoon buster."

"If you'd waited for me to come home we could have gotten married at Saint Matthew's like we'd planned and had a _real_ honeymoon." He told her as he stood up and held his hand out to her, which she took and stood up. "I promise that as soon as I get back to the majors, I'll take you on a real honeymoon anywhere you want to go."

They walked up the aisle toward the exit door and she smiled at him. "I want the honeymoon we were _supposed_ to have."

That stopped him in his tracks and he smiled. "You mean Lake Ichiwana, champagne and candlelight?"

"And Bing Crosby, no phones, no mail or neighbors, remember?" She said and her cheeks reddened.

Jeff grasped her hand firmly. "I remember. Lake Ichiwana it is."

"Thank you." And she leaned up and kissed his cheek.

When they stepped off the train, Hank was there waiting and the look of surprise on his face was something that Jeff would never forget. "Now I understand." Hank said with a smile as he grabbed Jeff and hugged him. "Congratulations slugger."

When his brother let him go Jeff took Ginger's hand and smiled. "We got married before we left."

Hank laughed and put his arms around his new sister-in-law and hugged her. "The last I heard you were engaged to someone else." He let her go and smiled.

"I was, but your brother was very persuasive." Ginger said and put her arms around Jeff.

"Sarah and I always hoped you'd get married." Hank told them as a shadow of sadness crossed his face. "She'd be as happy about this as I am."

"I can't take the credit for it." Jeff told his older brother. "Ginger showed up at the station with Father Dreher and that was it."

Hank laughed. "He actually agreed to do it?"

"Ginger can be very persuasive." Jeff smiled at his new bride.

"Does anyone know?"

Jeff looked at Ginger. "Did you tell your parents what you were doing?"

"They weren't home and I didn't have a lot of time to get dressed _and_ persuade Father Dreher to marry us, so I left them a note."

Hank looked concerned. "You should call so they won't worry."

"He's right Ginger. They should know where you are." Jeff agreed. "Why don't you call your mother while Hank and I get the suitcases." And he pulled a nickel out of his trouser pocket and handed it to her before she headed to a line of telephone booths nearby.

"So how is everything at home?" Hank asked as they walked to the baggage claim. "How are Mom and Linda?"

"Mom is fine and getting stronger every day and Linda seems to like her job at the newspaper."

"Al called to tell me about it and I really wanted to come, but you were all quarantined." He seemed to feel the need to explain his absence.

Jeff nodded. "It's all right, Mom understood. She worried most about Michael because he's so little."

Hank frowned slightly at the mention of his baby stepbrother. "How is he?"

"He's a baby Hank, how do I know?"

He didn't seem to know how to ask because he sighed. "Jeff, is Mom happy?"

"I've never seen her happier. Now, I know you don't like Al and maybe you have reason not to, but he really loves Mom and he loves Michael."

Hank nodded. "Is he a good father?"

"He really is." Jeff tried to reassure him. "Why don't you come home and see for yourself?"

When his brother seemed to object Jeff stopped him. "I don't mean for good, but just to see Linda and Mom and to meet our new brother."

"Mom's sent me a couple of pictures of him and he _does_ look happy. But as far as coming home, I don't think I want to do that."

Jeff frowned. "Not even for a visit?"

He shook his head. "I'm sorry Jeff, I can't do it just yet."

"It's all right Hank, I understand."

Hank seemed to shake himself out of his sorrowful mood and smiled. "Wichita Kansas is an odd place for a honeymoon."

"I got another shot." He said with a smile. "But before I can get back into the lineup, I'm being sent to the minors for a little while. Ginger and I were supposed to get married later today, but Coach called with the news and I had to get on a train so I can play tonight. She didn't want to wait and here we are."

"That's great news." Hank smiled at him.

Ginger returned and walked with them as she explained that Father Dreher had stopped by to talk to her parents on his way back to the priest house. He had told them what Ginger had done and where she was. "I told them I'd be home on Thursday because I had to be back for the Fine Foods Family Hour."

"No more Lemo Tomato Juice?" Hank asked her.

"Mr. Melon told me that Mr. Lemo decided to go with a new Lemo girl for his orange juice and I was too identifiable." She said in a matter of fact way. "I needed to keep my job at the station so I came up with the idea of being a housewife's helper, so to speak and Mr. Melon went for it."

"And she's doing a swell job too." Jeff smiled at her with pride. "Mr. Melon doesn't realize what a peach she really is."

"All Mr. Melon sees is the bottom dollar." She chimed in. "I may have to threaten to quit again to get another raise."

Jeff looked at his watch before he looked at Ginger. "We've got about an hour before our train leaves. Are you hungry?"

She shook her head. "I just want to sleep."

"I was able to get the last available roomette." Hank told her. "So at least you won't have to spend the rest of your wedding night sitting up. And don't worry about your suitcases, the porter said he'd put them in your room."

Jeff stuck his hand out. "I knew you'd come through. Thanks."

Hank grasped his hand and smiled. "It was luck."

"It's not luck Hank…"

"It's providence." They both finished together.

"That's what Mom always said." Hank shook his head and stopped. "Since your suitcases are taken care of, why don't you let me buy you a cup of coffee and something to eat? It won't be Mrs. Davis's apple cobbler, but it's the least I can do for you."

"That would be swell." Jeff said as he took Ginger's hand and they followed Hank out of the station.


	3. Wedded Bliss

"All aboard!"

Ginger stood with Jeff and Hank as the last call for passengers was announced.

"Take it easy, slugger. And let me know how you're doing." Hank told Jeff before he put his arms around his baby brother and hugged him.

"Thanks for everything Hank." Jeff smiled back. "If it hadn't been for you..."

"I wish you'd let us pay you for the roomette." Ginger told him.

"It's my wedding present to you." He answered. "I probably won't be there when you decide to have your reception and it was something that you deserved."

Jeff looked so disappointed and Ginger tucked her arm through his. "Won't be there? Hank, you _have_ to be there. It wouldn't be the same without you."

"I'm sorry Jeff. But I'm pretty sure that Mom will want to have the reception at the house and it's where Sarah and I had ours. You understand?"

"Sure, I understand but..." His voice trailed off.

"If _my_ mother has anything to say about it, it's going to be at _our_ house and it won't be a problem." Ginger told him and for that she got a grateful smile from Jeff. "You have to come."

Hank shook his head in amusement and smiled. "I won't make any promises, but when you decide where you're going to have it and when, let me know."

Jeff stuck his hand out and Hank took it. "Thanks."

"All aboard!"

"You two better get a move on or someone else is going to get that roomette."

"Thank you." Ginger hugged him before Jeff shook his hand again before he helped her up the stairs.

The conductor closed the bottom half of the Dutch door and Ginger and Jeff waved at Hank who called back to him. "Good luck slugger!"

The train rumbled out of the station and Hank grew smaller and smaller until he finally disappeared. They turned and walked down the narrow corridor of the passenger car and tried to find a porter. When they found one Jeff requested their roomette. "You should have a reservation for Metcalf."

The porter looked at a clipboard that hung on the wall and nodded. "Yes, sir. Follow me please." He requested and lead them back the way they just came. He stopped and pulled a key out of his pocket and unlocked the door before he handed the key to Jeff. "Your room sir. And may I offer my congratulations."

Ginger and Jeff looked at each other and smiled because the wait was almost over. "Thank you." He replied. "Could you have someone let me know when we reach Wichita? That's our stop."

"Certainly sir. We're scheduled topull into Wichita by two o'clock this afternoon and a porter will knock on your door at noon. That will give you time to pack and have some lunchbefore we get there."

"Thank you very much for your help." Ginger smiled at him and wished that he would go away.

He seemed to read her mind because she could swear that he tried not to grin. "My name is Lawrence and if you need anything, you just call for me. I'll be on duty for another hour." And he tipped his hat before he walked down the corridor and disappeared around the corner.

"He's a very nice man."

"And I thought he'd never leave." Jeff said as he smiled at her before he picked her up and Ginger leaned over to open the door so he could carry her inside. It wasn't a big room as rooms went, but there _was _a bed and for that she was grateful. Jeff set her on her feet and as Hank had said they would be, their suitcases were there and sitting on the bed.

They stood in front of each other and she didn't know why it felt so awkward all of the sudden because it wasn't as though this would be the first time they would make love. He looked just as uncertain when she looked into his eyes. "For awhile, I didn't think this was going to happen." He told her with a sigh. "Everything seemed to be working against us, mostly _us _because I was seeing Caroline and you were with Arthur. But it didn't take long for me to realize that she could never hold a candle to you because she wasn't _you_. I love you Mrs. Metcalf."

She could feel the tears pool in her eyes and she reached up to brush the back of her fingers against his cheek. "You are sweet."

"Ginger." His voice had gotten husky with emotion and he pressed his cheek against her fingers. "We're married now."

"And don't you forget it buster." She smiled as he leaned down and kissed her. She put her arms around his neck to pull him close and she kissed him back. She could feel his arms move around her waist to pull her closer.

"Ginger." His voice was only a whisper before he let her go and pulled the suitcases off the bed and set them down on the floor. He came back and smiled at her. "I don't think we need those right now." And he leaned down to kiss her again.

She didn't know if it's because it had been so long or if it was being with a man when he was your husband, but Ginger couldn't remember when she'd felt more content. Being with Jeff without the worry of being caught or the guilt that had come with being with him when they _hadn't_ been married made it all the more special. And it just made her even more certain that her decision to get Father Dreher to the train station so that he could marry them was the right thing to do.

Jeff picked her hand up off his chest and he smiled. "I need to get you a ring."

"We have time." She looked up at him and smiled back.

"I know it's only the minors, but I can afford to buy you a ring." His voice sounded defensive.

"And I didn't say you couldn't. All I said was that we have time." They were doing it again. An argument began to materialize out of an innocent comment and they both knew it.

"Ginger, we can't fight. It's our honeymoon." He sighed.

"Tell yourself." She said and pulled her hand out of his grasp.

"How about I tell you how much I love you?" His voice was low in her ear.

She smiled in spite of herself. "I can never stay mad at you."

He leaned over and kissed her. "What do say to finding a jewelry store before the game tonight and you pick out a ring?"

"Only if you help me." And she could feel her face warm because the lookJeff gave her a look that always made her heart beat faster.

"I agree to help you pick out a ring if you agree to stop talking and help me get back towork on those little shortstops."

"Oh my word." She said as Jeff leaned in for another kiss.


	4. Honeymoon

Jeff couldn't remember the last time he'd slept so well.

He supposed that it was the bad luck that seemed to plague him after Ginger and he ended their engagement that left him unsettled. He knew he'd been foolish to make her choose between him and a song because they were both so important to her but was so afraid at the time that that one song would take her away from River Run and from him.

It had all gone to hell in a hand basket after that.

He started going around with Judy, but it was never more than friendship with her because she was smart enough to see that he still loved Ginger. Besides, Judy was having romantic troubles of her own and it was something that he didn't want to get in the middle of. He started to see Caroline and he'd even gone so far as to sleep with her, but it wasn't what he thought it would be. Judy guessed what happened and when he confessed how different it had been, she told him it was because he didn't love Caroline.

He never told Ginger what happened, but the guilt of what he'd done with someone else haunted him even though he'd not been unfaithful to her. It was true that they were no longer engaged, but underneath all of the animosity and anger he did still love her. After that, he knew that he couldn't continue to see Caroline because it wasn't fair to let her think that there might be a future for them.

It was his plan to ask Ginger to give their relationship another chance, but that was before Miss Wescott informed him that she and Arthur had become engaged. It was no more than he deserved.

The only thing left for him after that piece of news was baseball. With Abe Davis' help and encouragement and Satchel Paige's liniment, the knee injury he sustained on the Lemo All Stars barnstorming tour began to heal. He knew that if he hadn't fooled around that night with Caroline Hailey it wouldn't have happened.

It didn't matter anymore, though. Because with Ginger's help, Jeff was given another shot to get back into the Indian's lineup. He was also given another shot with Ginger with Coach's help and he hadn't passed up on either opportunity. He didn't know exactly what they were going to do about their respective careers because baseball was as important to him as show business was to Ginger. Deep down he always knew that and now also knew that he would to have to give a little so that she could have a chance at success, as he had.

"What are you thinking so hard about?"

Ginger's sleepy voice brought him around and he smiled at her. "You."

"Really?" She seemed surprised and pleased by his admission and her face turned a pretty shade of pink.

"Even when we weren't engaged anymore and I didn't have the right to think about you, I did."

"I did too." She admitted to him. "That is, I didn't have the right to think about you either and I did. Arthur was wonderful, but he wasn't you."

The green-eyed monster reared its head. "How wonderful _was_ he?"

"Oh Jeff for pity's sake." She looked annoyed at the inference. "He wasn't _that _wonderful."

"Just wonderful enough to take your mind off _me_ I suppose." He sounded jealous and he knew it.

"And I suppose Caroline Hailey was even _more_ wonderful." She frowned and folded her arms across her chest.

"Ginger."

"You started this mister, so you'd better finish it." She said as she sat up and pulled the blankets up with her.

He sat up next to her and realized that he'd opened a can of worms that should have been left alone. "I didn't mean it the way it sounded."

"Well just how _did_ you mean it?" She wasn't about to let him off the hook and he knew if he tried to be sweet to her, it would just make her all the angrier.

Jeff sighed because he didn't know how he was going to get out of it.

"Arthur and I were never together the way that _we_ were and I told you that. But I'd bet a dollar to a donut hole that you and that British tramp were."

There it was.

He always hoped against hope that she would never find out, but Ginger knew him better than he'd ever given her credit for. He wouldn't lie to her about it but he couldn't come out and say it, so he just nodded.

She was only as quiet as she was at that moment one other time. She'd found Judy Owen in his room after she surprised him in Florida when he was called to Clearwater to join the Indians for spring training. She was so hurt that she didn't talk to him for nearly two days. He worried that if she found out about him and Caroline she would never be able to trust him again or forgive him. "Ginger?"

"Caroline Hailey." It came out so softly that he almost didn't hear it. "I worried about Judy Owen for the longest time but once I got to know her, I knew she'd never go after you. I knew you were seeing _her,_" The contempt in her voice was plain. "But I never really thought you'd do with her what you'd only done with _me_."

He felt his face flush and he took a deep breath. "Ginger, I can..."

She stopped him. "I don't want you to explain anything because it was something that happened when we weren't engaged. You're a man and you had... appetites... that weren't being taken care of and you found someone who didn't have any guilt in taking care of them."

He wanted her to know. "It was only once. It never happened again because it wasn't the same." Jeff took one of her hands gently in his to get her to look at him. When she did and he looked into her eyes. "She wasn't you Ginger and because she wasn't you, it wasn't special the way it was with you."

"Did you keep seeing her after that?" She seemed to brace herself for the worst.

"No. I broke things off with her even though I knew you were engaged to Arthur. You're the only girl I've ever loved Ginger and you're the only girl who can make me feel the way I do."

"This is not something that a girl ever thinks she'll ever talk about on her honeymoon." She sighed before she put her head on Jeff's shoulder. "If I'd just come with you instead of singing that night, it never would have happened."

"And if I hadn't been so stubborn about _letting_ you sing it wouldn't have happened, but it did." Jeff sighed as well.

"Would you have ever told me about it?" She sat up and looked at him.

He shook his head. "It was something that happened when we weren't engaged and the only thing it would have done was hurt you. And I never wanted to hurt you."

"I'm disappointed more than anything because you _are_ right. What happened with her was between the two of you and it's really none of my business. But at least it came out now rather than later because it would have come out Jeff, these kinds of things always do. And usually at the most inconvenient moment."

He began to laugh because he remembered some other information that had come out at an inconvenient moment and had been the inadvertent catalyst to his relationship with Ginger. "Hank's wedding day."

"And you hid me." She smiled back at him.

"Mom would say it was providence that it happened the way it did."

"I would never argue with your mother Jeff."

He tightened his hold on her hand. "She's always liked you. I know she wasn't too sure about our dating for awhile, but she could see how happy you made me and that made _her_ happy."

"I feel like I never said it enough and maybe that was part of the problem, but I _do_ love you Jeff. You've made me happier than Charlie ever did and Arthur ever could." She told him with a sigh.

"I love you too Ginger and I always knew you loved me. Even when we'd have a fight, I knew you loved me." He hesitated for a moment before he leaned over for a tentative kiss. When she answered back with a tentative kiss of her own, Jeff sensed that everything was going be all right.


	5. Mrs Jeff Metcalf

"So listen up gals. If that front door of yours is sticking and you're tired of slamming it closed here's a little tip; take an ordinary bar of soap and rub it along the doorframe. I know, I know, you're asking yourselves bar soap? But trust me it works like a dream."

Virginia Szabo Metcalf smiled into the camera with a bar of soap in her hand and silently thanked her mother for the idea.

"Before I go, I just wanted to say thanks to all of you for your wonderful cards and letters congratulating me on my marriage. My husband Jeff," And she blushed at the thought of what that meant to her. "Is currently in Lawrence Kansas with the Cleveland Indians farm team and has been doing really well. It's quite an experience to trail your groom around from one small ballpark to another but it was something that I wouldn't have missed for the world. So until next time, this is Mrs. Jeff Metcalf saying see you then"

And she smiled until she saw the small red light on top of the camera go dark.

"We're off the air." Ginger heard the cameraman advise everyone and she put the soap down on the counter. The studio lights blinked off and it took her a moment to readjust her eyes to the normal room light and it was then that she saw Linda.

"Ginny, you were great." She smiled. "And it's your first show as my sister in law."

Ginger smiled back. "Your mother seemed to take it really well that I eloped with Jeff. _My_ mother was fit to be tied, mostly because she didn't have the chance to wear the dress she bought when I was going to marry Arthur."

"You wouldn't really have gone through with it would you? Knowing how much you still loved Jeff?" Linda asked her.

"Of course I would have because I didn't know that he still loved _me_." She explained. "So what brings you down to WREQ? I thought you'd be covering that big housing deal the Sloan's have going."

"I _was_ actually on my way to the Sloan plant to talk to Mr. Sloan but Mother wanted me to ask you if you wanted to move in to her house."

Ginger must have looked as surprised as she felt. "I never thought about that. Jeff and I never talked about where we would live and I just assumed that I would stay with my parents until he got home."

"It makes sense, don't you think? Besides, Mother called from New Jersey and in her haste to leave with Al and Michael, as she put it she forgot that Charlie and I are in the house alone."

"Oh for Pity's Sake Linda, who cares what people think? Charlie is with Gina and you've been making eyes at that handsome editor of yours. No one would believe that there was anything going on that shouldn't."

"Making eyes?"

She rolled _her _eyes at Linda. "You know what I mean. Let the old busybodies gossip all they want you know that everything is above board."

"_I _know that and _Charlie_ knows that, but you seem to forget that we were gossiped about before." Linda pointed out.

"And whose fault is _that_ Linda Metcalf? That British tramp of course." She frowned.

"Mother wants you to come live at her house and said that you could move into Hank's old room. She thought it was only fair because Jeff had to move into the attic when Hank and Sarah were getting married. Now that you and Jeff are married, she wants him to have a real room."

"I don't know what to say."

Linda smiled at her. "Say you'll come. It won't be like having your own house but at least you won't be living like a single girl in your _parent's _house. Besides, Charlie is with Gina so much that I'm usually by myself."

It didn't take Ginger much time to think it over. "Well, seeing as how I spent _almost_ as much time in that house growing up as I did in my own I don't know how I could say no."

Linda smiled and grabbed her into a hug. "Thanks Ginger."

"I just wish Jeff were here." She sighed as she picked up the bowl of icing and carried it to the sink.

"I'll move Hank's things into the attic when I get home and I'll let you take care of getting Jeff's things downstairs." And Ginger saw her look at her wristwatch. "In the meantime, I have to get to the Sloan plant before it closes and you can move in tonight or wait until tomorrow, it's up to you."

"Let's do it tomorrow. I want to talk to my parents and let them know what I'm planning."

"In that case, here's a key so you can let yourself in if I'm not home. It's yours to keep as long as you want." She added as she handed Ginger a house key.

"Thank you." And she hugged Linda. "Don't let Mr. Sloan give you the runaround when you ask him those hard questions."

"I'll see you tomorrow." And she waved as she walked out of the studio.

Ginger turned her attention to the dishes in the sink and began to run some water to wash them. The studio telephone rang and before she had the chance to dry her hands, Miss Wescott appeared out of no where and picked it up. "Miss Wescott." And she sighed. "Miss Szabo, it's your baseball player."

Before she plucked the phone out of the woman's hand Ginger gave her a sarcastic smile. "That's _Mrs. Metcalf._"

"Don't be long, Mr. Melon wants to speak with you." She sniffed and walked into the control booth.

She made sure Miss Wescott was out of earshot before she put the phone to her ear. "Hi."

"Hi yourself. I sure miss you." He told her and she heard it in his voice.

"I miss you too. How's the road trip going?" She asked and wished she were there with him. "You can't possibly do better than you did yesterday."

"I did swell _yesterday_ but _today_ I struck out twice and got an error." He sounded disappointed.

"Try not to worry too much about that Jeff. One bad game shouldn't hurt your chances." Ginger tried to encourage him, as a good wife should.

"I play better when we're together." He told her.

She smiled and felt her cheeks warm. "You play better when your mind is on the game. And I'd bet a dollar to a doughnut hole that your mind wasn't on the game."

His laugh on the other end of the line was soft and when he spoke again, his voice was lower. "I was thinking about those shortstops we were working on."

"Oh my word!" She whispered.

"Don't tell me that you don't think about it either." He challenged her.

"Of course I do. We waited for so long and it seems that's all we _were_ doing until I had to come home." And she laughed. "Well that and watching you play baseball."

"What was more fun?" His voice had grown husky.

"I don't think I need to answer that buster because you already know." She looked around and hoped no one was listening in.

"I'm sorry Ginger but I've got to go, my two minutes are almost up." He had to be looking at his watch.

Darn those two-minute calls.

"We're here for another couple of days, so I'll call you after the game tomorrow. I love you."

"I love you..." She didn't get to finish because the line went dead. "Too."

The voice of Miss Wescott crackled over the intercom. "Miss Szabo, Mr. Melon is waiting."

"I already told you that it's _Mrs. Metcalf_." Ginger barked at Mr. Melon's assistant who seemed intent on irritating her. She slammed down the receiver, harder than she knew she should have. But Mrs.Virginia Metcalf missed her husband and Miss Wescott wasn't making it any easier.


	6. Home Sweet Home

Jeff was on his way home to see Ginger for the first time in a month and he was bringing good news with him. He'd been told after the previous day's game that he was being sent back up to the majors.

Bill Veeck was convinced that what he saw wasn't a "flash in the pan" as Coach told Jeff when he called to send him to the minors. He was being given a week off before he would join the Indians for their first home game after _they_ had been on the road for the previous two weeks. It meant that he would be home in River Run and he and Ginger could figure out what they were going to do about their living arrangements. He didn't know how he felt about starting his married life in his mother's house with Linda and Charlie living there as well.

He sat in his seat and watched the scenery go by as he twisted his wedding ring nervously on his left ring finger. He'd only worn a wedding ring once before when he and Ginger went to Toledo because she thought she might be expecting. It shouldn't have mattered what strangers thought and she told him so at the time but it gave her some comfort to give the appearance that they _were _married.

But now they really were and if a little one were to come along they wouldn't have to sneak off to a strange city to find out from a strange doctor.

He didn't call to tell her he was on his way home because he wanted it to be a surprise. But the closer the train got to River Run he wondered if perhaps he should have because he knew how much Ginger hated surprises. Jeff wanted to see her so badly though that he hoped she wouldn't be too upset with him.

He closed his eyes for a moment and didn't realize he'd fallen asleep until he heard the porter come through the car. "River Run! We'll be in River Run in two minutes!"

Jeff opened his eyes and tried to orient himself before he stood up and got his suitcase from the overhead compartment. He could have had a berth for the trip home if he'd asked for it but without Ginger with him, he preferred to sleep sitting up.

The wheels screeched on the tracks as the train chugged to a stop and Jeff made his way to the exit. To his surprise Abe Davis stood at the platform with a raised hand to let the younger man know he was there. He stepped off and approached the former ball player before he took his hand and shook it. "Mr. Davis, it's nice to see you again."

"Welcome home Jeff. I hope you don't mind but Choker stopped by Rupert's to let me know that you were coming home to play with the Indians next week. He said that you hadn't told your family you were coming and it didn't make much sense to me for you to spend your hard-earned money on a taxi when I have Mr. Sloan's Packard." He explained as he took Jeff's suitcase out of his hand and walked back into the station.

It felt odd to have Mr. Davis carry his suitcase for him and Jeff tried to retrieve it.

"Let me do this son." Was all he said and continued to walk.

They made their way out of the station and the Sloan's automobile was parked out front. Mr. Davis stowed the suitcase in the trunk of the car before he opened the back passenger door and waited for Jeff.

"If it's all the same to you sir I'd prefer to sit in front." He said before he opened the front passenger door and sat down. He closed the door and waited.

The driver's door opened and Mr. Davis sat down as he pulled the car keys out of his jacket pocket. He put the key in the ignition and the engine turned over. "Thank you."

Nothing else was said as Jeff gave him directions to his mother's house and Mr. Davis pulled away from the station and drove him home. As the car pulled up in front of the house, he couldn't help but understand a little better how Hank might have felt when he came home from overseas. He felt like there were a million butterflies in his stomach and all he wanted was the feel of Ginger in his arms.

"Is this the house?"

Jeff looked over at him and smiled. "Yes sir it is, thank you."

The engine idled as Mr. Davis got out of the car and he followed suit. He walked to the back of the car and took his suitcase from the older man.

"Thank you Mr. Davis, it was swell of you to drive me home." And he put it down on the sidewalk before he shook Mr. Davis' hand.

"It was my pleasure. The Sloan's wanted me to tell you that they'll be at the next home game and Gloria and I will be there too. She doesn't really follow baseball but she knows it's something that Robert and I enjoyed."

"How _is_ your son doing?"

Mr. Davis' smile was full of pride. "He called us a couple of days ago and he's doing just fine. He and Perrette have a small apartment off campus and she has a job as a French tutor. They seem to be happy, though Robert's mother misses him terribly."

"I'm sure she does. I know how much Mom missed Hank when he moved to Chicago." Jeff said.

He pointed a finger to the front door. "Your family is coming."

"Thanks again. I'll look for you next week." Jeff said as Mr. Davis got in the Sloan's car and drove away. He turned toward the house and before he had a chance to move Ginger was in his arms and kissing him. His arms were around her waist as he kissed her back.

"All right you two, let's take it inside." He heard his sister's voice as he tried to make up for the last month he and Ginger were apart. "We don't need to give the neighbor's a show."

Linda was right and he let go of Ginger.

"Welcome home Slugger." Charlie shook his hand before he picked up the suitcase and carried it inside.

"It's good to have you home Jeff." Linda smiled and hugged him. "The house has been too quiet with Mother and Al and Michael gone."

"Did they take that house you told me about?" He asked as Ginger held onto his hand and walked with him into the house.

"She called last night and Al put a deposit down on it yesterday. The local there doesn't pay very well, but the money Mother makes working part-time helps a lot."

"It sounds as though they aren't coming back."

Linda shook her head. "I don't think they are Jeff. The day they left she told me that she felt that it was God's Will that her fourth child was raised somewhere else."

"I wish I could have said goodbye." He sighed as they walked through the parlor. It looked and felt just as it did when Coach called him five weeks ago. He expected Mom to walk out of the kitchen at any moment to remind him to wash his hands before dinner and it was then that he realized how hungry he was.

"I know you do and she wishes she could have said goodbye to you too. But she didn't plan on going with Al until the very last minute." Linda explained.

"I just want her to be happy."

"So do I. And if sharing her life with Al and Michael in New Jersey is what makes her happy I'm not going to quibble."

"All right, I've had about as much gloom and doom as I can stand." Ginger told them. "Jeff surprises us without so much as a telephone call to let us know he's coming and he's darn lucky I had things ready for him."

Jeff looked at Ginger. "What are you talking about?"

"Just follow me buster." She said with a smile and started up the stairs.

He did as she requested and followed her. When they got there Charlie was coming down from the attic, _his_ old room. "Your suitcase is in your room Slugger. I need to scram because I have to go talk to the Rabbi before I go get Gina." And he started down the stairs. "I told her it would be all right if she and Emma came for dinner."

"Sure Charlie." Linda answered. "The more the merrier."

"You're aces Linda." He smiled at her before he went downstairs and a moment later Jeff heard the side door close.

"I'm aces because I feed him." She shook her head in amusement. "Well, before you surprised us I was on my way down to the newspaper. Ginny's got a surprise of her own for _you _so I'll leave her to it." And she went downstairs.

Did Charlie say Rabbi?

Ginger took his hand again. "I've got something to show you and I hope you like it. Charlie and Gina and Linda helped so I can't take all of the credit."

She tugged on his hand and pulled him through the attic door. The first thing he noticed was the fresh coat of paint on the walls as he walked up the stairs and at the same time those stairs were quieter. He looked down to see that new carpet had been laid and the muffled sound of his own steps felt out of place.

At the top of the stairs he looked at what one time was the attic which was hastily converted into his room after Hank and Sarah decided to get married. It was small but it always suited his needs.

Ginger took that drab, dark room and made it into a real bedroom for the both of them. Gone was the clutter of trunks and storage boxes and the exposed beams.

"Charlie did the hard work." She explained as she stood in the middle of the room. "He did the insulation and the drywall himself and Gina helped me pick out the wallpaper. I was just going to paint but she talked me into doing both and she also sewed the curtains for me. I brought over my furniture from my parent's house so that's why you don't recognize anything. What do you think?"

He looked around the room and didn't know what to say. "Ginny, this is really swell."

Her face seemed to light up. "Do you know what you just called me?"

"What?" Jeff was still reeling from all the changes.

"You called me Ginny." And her smile grew.

He smiled back at her and met her in the middle of the room. "I prefer Mrs. Metcalf."

"I'm still getting used to it." Ginger admitted. "But I liked that you said Ginny."

He shrugged. "It wasn't something that I thought about, it just came out."

"So what do you think?" She insisted. "I think Linda did a swell job painting the stairway."

Jeff nodded because he suddenly realized that he and Ginger were alone in the house and he hadn't seen her for over a month. He reached for her and he smiled as her cheeks turned pink. "I think I'd like to try out those bedsprings."

"Only after you lock the door." She pulled away.

"Ginger, we have the house to ourselves for the rest of the afternoon." He reasoned.

"Lock the door mister or you don't get the chance to see how comfortable my bed is." Ginger was adamant.

"We're married now."

She didn't say another word and Jeff sighed before he turned and walked down the stairs to the attic door and pulled it closed before he locked it. He walked back up the stairs and found Ginger sitting in a window seat he hadn't noticed before.

"You've made us a nice home here Ginger." He said as he joined her and leaned over to kiss her cheek.

"I wasn't sure if you would like the wallpaper or not. I wanted this to be a room you could be happy in." She sounded a little defensive and Jeff didn't want her to.

"As long as you're here to share this room with me it doesn't matter to me what wallpaper you picked. You did this for us and that's all that matters." He tried to reassure her.

"I do love you Jeff." She told him and kissed him.

"I love you too Ginger." He kissed her back and held her close to his heart. "You know, you haven't asked me why I'm home and not with the farm team."

He felt her body still before she pulled away from him and the look on her face was one of disappointment. "Oh Jeff, you didn't get cut did you?"

"Not exactly." He fudged.

"Oh for pity's sake just tell me." She frowned at him. "If it's bad news breaking it to me gently isn't going to help things."

He nodded and acted as though he was reluctant to break it to her. "The fact is Ginger..." And he paused for dramatic effect. "Coach Zelnick called me after yesterday's game to tell me that I'm being sent back to the majors. That's why I'm here. The Indians are home next week and I'll be in the line up."

It seemed to take her a moment to fully grasp what he was telling her and in the next moment her arms were around his neck. "The majors!"

"I'm home for good Ginger." He smiled. "Except for road games and spring training, I'm home."

"I missed you so much."

"I know you did because I missed you too." And he grinned. "So can I see how comfortable your bed is now? The door is locked and we have the house to ourselves."

"Of course." She answered as she stood up. "I've waited for this for five whole weeks. Welcome home Jeff."

"It's nice to be home." He said as he kissed her and got to find out just how comfortable her bed really was.


	7. Decisions

It was almost like having a home of their own.

Because Charlie was with Gina and Emma at her flat so much and Linda was always at the newspaper office working with Phil, the Metcalf house was left pretty much to the devices of Jeff and Ginger Metcalf.

More often than not, Ginger would cook dinner for Jeff and herself but would always make enough so that the other two residents of the house could have something to eat if they wanted it. Jeff always told her that she shouldn't do it because it should be up to them to fend for themselves.

"I know that." Ginger answered the complaint one night at dinner. "But my mother always said to cook like you're feeding an army because you don't want anyone to go hungry."

He reached over and took her hand. "I'm sorry Ginger. I'm not criticizing you for wanting to make sure everyone eats. I think it's swell that you worry about all of us so much."

She squeezed his hand in gratitude. "Thank you Jeff."

"So how are the plans for the reception coming?" He asked her with a smile.

Ginger smiled back at him because she knew that their wedding reception was pretty much all she talked about and Jeff knew it. "My mother is really unhappy that we want to have the reception here but since _we're_ paying for it she can't really argue. And _you_ still haven't given me your guest list, mister. We've got our family and our friends all set, but it seems to me that there are some people that you wanted to invite that you didn't mention."

"Like who?" And to Ginger he seemed a little defensive.

"Don't be like that. You know darn well who I mean, so put them down so we can send them an invitation." She looked at him before sliding a note pad and pencil across the table to him. "This is your reception too Jeff and you should invite who _you _want."

"You wouldn't mind?" He looked at her curiously.

"Of course not." She assured him. "Are _you_ sure you don't mind having a Nuptial Mass? Father Dreher says it's not necessary because in the eyes of the Church we _are_ already married."

Jeff smiled at her. "I don't mean to sound disrespectful Ginger, but it doesn't matter what Father Dreher says. _My_ mother and _your_ mother think it's necessary even though Father Dreher married us properly because _they_ didn't get to see it. So if it means that we make our mothers happy by having a Nuptial Mass then I don't mind."

"You are sweet." Ginger smiled again as Jeff picked up the pencil and she waited while he scribbled down his choices for his reception guests.

"I talked to Hank earlier and told him what our plans were." He said as he finished writing and pushed the note pad and pencil back to Ginger. "I asked him if he would come home and stand up with me at Saint Matthews."

"What did he say?" She asked as she looked at the names that Jeff had written down. She shouldn't have been surprised by his choices but she was. She looked up at him and was hesitant to ask. "Are you sure about this?"

"He's been really swell to me Ginny and I thought it was the right thing to do." Jeff seemed to feel the need to explain it to her.

"Then we'll add him to the list." Ginger told him without another word about it. "And you still didn't tell me what Hank said about being your best man."

"It's not the best man part that he wants to say no to, but he's not sure if he can handle the reception being here."

"So he's not going to come then." She sighed.

"I didn't say that. Being back _here_ for another reception is going to be rough for him but he said that it was the happiest day of his life when he married Sarah and he knew it was the happiest day of ours when _we_ got married. So if it means that he has to deal with a few ghosts and the possible appearance of Al Kahn to be with me on my wedding day, he said he would do it."

"It's awfully nice of him to put aside his differences to be here with you. A lot of fellows wouldn't do that, even for their own brother." She commented as she put the notepad aside.

"But they aren't Hank." He said and Ginger thought he was trying to defend his brother.

"You don't need to explain it to me Jeff. I know how much he means to you and how much you miss him."

"I sound like such a dope. I'm a major league ball player just like I've always wanted and a married man. We have my mother's house pretty much to ourselves and I'm sounding like a kid." He frowned.

"It's a wonder we're doing as well as we are." She sighed. "Just think about all of the changes we've gone through in the last year. We had our own troubles together and apart and before we knew what was happening, your mother was moving with Michael to New Jersey with Al. That was after we found out that Charlie decided to convert to Judaism so that he could be with Gina and you got called up to the minors."

He grinned. "And _that_ wouldn't have happened if you hadn't talked to Coach."

She laughed. "I _lectured_ him is what I did. I called him a heartless man and he proved to me that he really wasn't."

"If it hadn't been for Coach pulling the rotor from Arthur's car who do you think you would be sitting with right now?" Jeff asked her. "_Would_ you have married him?"

It wasn't something Ginger gave any thought to after Jeff proposed to her on the way to the television station because she'd finally gotten the man that she really wanted. But she also knew that she'd made a commitment to Arthur and as much as she didn't like to admit it she probably would have gone through with it.

__

Thank God Coach had intervened.

She looked at him hesitantly. "If Coach hadn't meddled I would probably be sitting with Arthur right now and wondering why I wasn't as happy as I thought a new bride should be."

"Are you happy with me?" His voice was soft and Ginger saw the look in his eyes that signaled to her that their conversation was about to come to a screeching halt.

"You should know the answer to that Jeff." Ginger answered as she stood up. "If you'll help me clear the table and do the dishes I'll show you just how happy I've been these last few weeks."

His eyes seemed to sparkle because she knew that he understood what she meant. "I'd do anything for you Ginger."

"I know." She smiled as they hastily cleared the table and took the dishes into the kitchen.


	8. Family Ties

Jeff wasn't too keen on having a big wedding and he knew that Ginny wasn't either, but considering that they _had_ eloped it was only fair that her parents have the chance to see their only child get married. It was why he insisted that they have the Nuptial Mass.

But he had to admit that he was doing it for _his_ mother too because Hank wasn't able to have one. Sarah hadn't been Catholic and it wasn't possible so because of that his older brother had to be content with a simple wedding ceremony at Saint Matthew's.

Hank was back home the night before Jeff's wedding as well as Mom, Al and Michael. The house was full with them and Linda. Charlie had bugged out for an evening with Gina because he wanted the Metcalf's to have the time to themselves but promised that he would be home later.

Ginger had gone to her parent's house because her mother insisted that it was bad luck for Jeff to see her before their wedding day. She told Jeff, as she packed her overnight bag that she tried to explain to her mother that it wasn't the same because they were already married. But her mother wouldn't budge and Jeff had to be content with giving her a passionate goodnight kiss before he drove her to her parents.

When he came back, it was almost like stepping back into time. Hank was sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper while Linda helped their mother with dinner.

In spite of the long drive that brought Ann Metcalf Kahn back from New Jersey, she insisted on giving her family a home cooked meal. She stood in the doorway of the kitchen as she wiped her hands on a dishtowel and announced that dinner was ready.

"I've missed being able to cook in my own kitchen." She said and that got a glance from Al as he fed the baby and Jeff saw her shoot back a stern look. "I grew up in this house and raised my oldest children here so don't give me that disapproving look Al Kahn."

He saw Hank try to hide a grin from behind the front page and Jeff himself tried not to laugh. He knew how much his mother loved Al, but it didn't mean that she would ever change who she was for him..

The family sat down and after saying Grace dug into dinner. As good a cook as Ginger was Jeff had to admit that even _her_ meals couldn't top Mom's.

Because their time together would be so short there seemed to be a silent agreement that nothing would be said about Unions, Sloan Industries or what happened to Sarah. So instead, the meal itself and the rest of the evening was filled with talk of Hank's time overseas, his job in Chicago and how the winter's there were going to take some time getting used to. Mom talked about how different it was in New Jersey and how she was glad that they were given the chance to come back to Ohio so that Michael could have the chance to be with his family.

Jeff couldn't help but notice that while Hank couldn't seem to take his eyes off of his young stepbrother he kept his distance. Al asked the oldest Metcalf earlier in the evening if he wanted to hold the baby but he'd refused. But their mother must have noticed it too because without warning she handed Michael to him.

"It was a long drive and Al and I are going to take a walk to stretch our legs. So if you would change Michael if he needs it and put him to bed I would appreciate it. His crib is in our room and the changing table is up there too if you need it. We'll be back later."

"If he starts to get fussy sing the Lemo Tomato Juice song, it puts him out like a light." Al added as he followed Ann to the side door.

"Lemo?" Hank looked confused as he cradled the baby in the crook of his arm.

"Linda and Jeff can explain it." He said as he opened the door and waited for his wife to precede him and then closed it behind him.

"Lemo?" He asked again.

"It's a long story." Linda smiled. "You sure look like you know what you're doing big brother."

"And I think he likes you." Jeff grinned as Michael reached up a small hand toward Hank's face and a look came over his brother's face that wiped the smile off of _his_ face.

"We decided to wait until after she was teaching for awhile before we had kids." He explained. "She was so close to getting her degree and we thought that after a year or so we could start trying."

"Hank, you shouldn't be by yourself. Sarah wouldn't want that for you." Linda's voice was gentle.

"I'd still have her if it weren't for that damn union!" He rasped angrily. "We'd still be living up in our room and she would still be going to school!"

"Take it easy Hank, you're going to scare Michael." Jeff cautioned.

It didn't matter because he seemed perfectly content in Hank's arms. His gaze was steady on his older brother as _he_ glanced down at the young life he held. "I would never scare him Jeff. He's an innocent little guy and I _am_ still angry but none of it's his fault."

"It's _my_ fault." Linda apologized. "I should have known better than to mention her."

Hank looked at his younger sister and sighed. To Jeff it looked as though he wanted to tell her that it was all right but couldn't quite bring himself to do it. "He looks like he's ready to hit the sack, so I'm going to take him upstairs and then go to bed."

"Hank, take my bed. I can sleep on the rollaway tonight." Jeff told him.

Hank stopped at the foot of the stairs,turned around and he had a grin on his face. "You're getting married tomorrow little brother, so _you_ take the bed."

"Please take it. The rollaway isn't so bad and the fact of the matter is I don't want to sleep in that bed by myself."

Hank nodded just before he headed up the stairs. "I understand that feeling. All right, _you_ take the rollaway."

Jeff watched him go upstairs and let out a sigh of his own. "I'm sure glad he's here, but I don't know how glad _he_ is."

"He's been away for almost a year Jeff. It's got to be a little strange for him to walk back into this house and have it be so much the same as it was when he left." Linda told him as he felt a gentle hand on his arm. "But now that he's been back, maybe he'll start coming home more often."

"I sure would like that."

"So would I, I've missed him around here." She answered in agreement before she tugged on his arm. "It's going to be awhile before Mother and Al come home so why don't you help me clean up the kitchen?"

"I'll help you but I just want to check on Hank, just to make sure he's okay."

"All right, just don't take too long." Linda looked dubious but nodded and Jeff headed up the stairs.

He found his older brother standing at the changing table with his youngest brother as his diaper was changed. He dropped the soiled cloth into the diaper pail and closed the lid. "I don't know what they gave you for dinner kid, but it sure didn't agree with you."

Jeff heard the amusement in Hank's voice as his brother picked up a clean diaper and folded it into a triangle. He gently picked the baby up enough to get it under his small bottom and proceeded to pin the folds together. He found a clean sleeper and after tucking Michael's small arms and legs into it, snapped it closed.

Hank took the baby into his arms and headed to the rocker. It was then that he saw Jeff and he smiled. "What are you doing here Jeff?"

"You're my brother and I worry about you, so sue me." He said and knew he sounded defensive.

"I would never hurt him, you should know that." Hank sounded just as defensive.

"That's not what I meant and _you_ should know that. You were avoiding him all night until Mom gave him to you." Jeff sighed. "It's okay to love him Hank he _is_ our brother."

"Mom really loves Al doesn't she?" He asked as he sat down gingerly in the rocker with Michael and began to rock back and forth. "And he really loves her too."

"I would never have thought before he came to live here how right they are for each other. But after she got polio he tried to take care of Michael and visit her at Saint Ann's. I saw how scared he was when he worried she might die and that Michael might get sick too. He's been swell to her Hank and he loves Michael."

"It's just that if he hadn't come here Sarah would still be alive."

"Probably, but if he hadn't come Mom wouldn't have him or Michael and she'd still be alone." He reasoned.

"Everything happens for a reason." Hank nodded.

"That's it."

He smiled again. "We're okay here Jeff so stop worrying. You've got a wedding to get through tomorrow."

"I'm glad you're here Hank. It wouldn't have been the same without you." Jeff smiled back.

"I wouldn't have missed it Slugger. It's not every day a guy's younger brother gets married."

His smile got wider. "Never mind that we already are."

"But Mom didn't get to see it, so it doesn't count." Hank's laughter was gentle.

"Ginny's mother feels the same way. Well, I'll leave you two alone because Linda asked me to help her clean up the kitchen before Mom and Al got back."

"As soon as he falls asleep I'll meet you down there."

"You don't need to do that."

He shook his head. "It's been a long time since we've had to clean up the kitchen together and I never thought I'd miss it. So give me a few minutes and I'll be down to help."

Jeff shrugged. "Okay. Who ever heard of a guy trying to do housework?"

"Get out of here will you or this one here will never get to sleep."

"Sure thing. I'll see you downstairs." He walked to the doorway and turned for a moment to see that Michael had grabbed Hank's index finger and was laughing. What ever the problems were that he might still have with Al, it wasn't going to affect his growing relationship with the smallest member of their family.

Jeff turned back and walked down the stairs and met Linda at the dining table. She was clearing the last of the dishes off the table and he took them off her hands. He carried them into the kitchen and told her that Hank would be down to help as soon as Michael was asleep.

Linda was incredulous. "He's going to help, without being asked?"

"That's what he said."

"Will wonders never cease." She commented as Jeff turned on the water and began to pile the dishes in the sink.


	9. Guess Who's Coming To The Reception

Ginger knew that when she looked back on her wedding day, it would be in two parts.

Her marriage to Jeff began in a dining car of the North Shore Special as he was transported to Wichita Kansas to join the Indians farm team. Father Dreher solemnized their vows that late afternoon but it wasn't in front of their family and their friends. In truth she would have been content with that because the only thing that really mattered to her was that she and Jeff were finally married.

But weddings weren't just about the bride and the groom her mother reminded her after she returned from her hasty honeymoon. Weddings were about bringing the two families together to recognize each other and celebrate the joining of those two families.

It would have made sense if the Szabo's didn't know the Metcalf's, but Ginger's best girlhood friend was Linda Metcalf and the two families had usually sat together at Sunday Mass.

The fact that Jeff agreed to it made the whole thing much more bearable for Ginger and at the very least brought his family back to River Run, if only for a short while. She knew how much he missed them and that living in his mother's house wasn't the same without her there, or Hank for that matter.

She wished that they had had more time to spend together before the wedding but Hank couldn't get much time off and she knew that he would have to leave for Chicago the morning after the wedding. And by then she and Jeff would be waking up in their bungalow on Lake Ichiwana after a night of champagne and candlelight with Bing Crosby, no phones, no mail or neighbors.

The wedding went off without a hitch that Saturday morning and Jeff looked so handsome in the dark blue double-breasted suit that made him look so much older than his twenty-three years. It was the suit he wore the day he left for Wichita and Ginger wanted to cry because it was something he remembered on his own. She felt how nervous he was as they stood at the altar and he held her hands in his. She felt them tremble as they stood in front of Father Dreher and repeated their vows.

Hank handed Ginger's wedding ring to Jeff and after he put it on her finger for what Ginger vowed would be the second and last time; Linda handed Jeff's ring to her. She slipped the gold band onto his finger for what she also vowed would be the second and last time and Father pronounced them man and wife.

They walked hand in hand to the back of the church and waited for Hank and Linda. Ginger's parents, Jeff's mother and Al also then joined them as the guests filtered out of the church and the photographer called the maid of honor and best man up to the altar for a picture. When he was finished with them he called Ann, Al and Jeff together for a family picture. Ginger stood with her parents and watched what could have been a very awkward scene as Al tried to bow out but Hank insisted that he stand next to his mother while _he_ held Michael.

It was a gesture for Jeff, of that Ginger had no doubt, but it also seemed to her that Hank was finally at a point where he could begin to forgive his mother's husband. She felt this because Jeff called her the night before to tell her goodnight and to tell her how good Hank was with Michael. It was something she wished she could have seen.

Once all the pictures were done the families of Ginger and Jeff left them to join the waiting guests outside to throw rice before everyone began the race back to the house.

"You look beautiful Ginger." Jeff smiled at her and leaned over to kiss her cheek and then he grinned. "And last night was the longest of my life."

"That wouldn't be because you and Hank were up half the night talking would it?" She felt her face flush and wondered if he would always have the ability to effect her that way.

"Linda finked on me didn't she?" He smiled.

"She said it was the nicest sound she'd heard in that house in a long time. It's been awhile since she's heard the two of you talking."

Jeff nodded in agreement. "It was swell to have the chance to talk to him again. And we didn't even talk about Sarah or Chicago or Al. We talked about growing up here and his going overseas and my playing for the Indians. We talked about Kirtland Hill and Rupert's and he said that he wants to go over there and have a piece of Mrs. Davis' cobbler before he heads back to Chicago."

"And he included Al as part of your family." She observed.

"I thought Mom was going to cry, especially when he held Michael. It meant a lot to her that he did that." He added.

"Come on you two, what's the hold up?" Linda's low voice carried up the aisle and Ginger saw her standing at the vestibule door. "Let's get a move on, everyone is standing out there waiting for you."

"We're coming." Jeff assured his sister as he again took Ginger's hand in his, walked back down the aisle and then they ran out of the church through a shower of rice and to a waiting car. It shouldn't have surprised Ginger that Coach was at the wheel because it _was_ hiscar, the very car that Jeff proposed for the second time.

"Congratulations Miss Szabo on your blessed nuptial day." Coach Zelnick said with a smile before he cleared his throat. "I beg your pardon, I mean Mrs. Metcalf."

"Thanks for doing this Coach." Jeff smiled as he helped Ginger into the car and waited for her to sit down before he got in next to her.

"It's my pleasure young Metcalf. It seemed appropriate that you be driven in this particular automobile because it _was_ responsible for getting you both back on the road to matrimony."

Ginger tried not to laugh because she knew how sincere he was. His manner of speech was unusual in how he expressed himself but it _was_ unique and it was definitely Coach.

As they drove back to the Metcalf house for the reception Coach cleared his throat again. "I had the pleasure of dining at Rupert's the other evening and Stretch told me that he was surprised to receive an invitation to your wedding and the reception. He said that he didn't quite know what to make of it."

Jeff shrugged as though it weren't a big deal and Ginger was never more proud of him. "It seemed the right thing to do, Coach. He's followed my career before I ever had one and he always seemed to be there when I needed some encouragement."

"It's advice you would do well to remember Metcalf. The players in the Negro League had a rough go of it and he knows something about that from his own playing days."

"Did he happen to tell you if he and Mrs. Davis were going to come? I didn't see them at the wedding."

"I'm sorry son, he didn't tell me. I imagine he wants to talk to the Missus about it and see what she thinks. So I wouldn't take it personally if they decide not to come, you know how it is."

Jeff nodded. "Yes Sir I do."

Ginger took his hand and smiled at him. "We'll just have to keep a good thought Jeff."

He looked at her and smiled before he leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"There now! That's what the honeymoon is for." Coach admonished them with a smile. "You don't have time for that anyway because we're here." And he pulled his car up in front of the house before he shut down the engine and got out of the car. "If you help your lovely bride out of the car, I'll get the door."

"You _are_ a lovely bride Mrs. Metcalf." Jeff smiled as he got out of the car and held out his hand to her. "I'm glad that we did this today and not because our mothers wanted it. I'm glad we did it because we made our vows to each other in front of our family and in our church."

"You are sweet." She smiled as he helped her out of the car.

"If I'm so sweet how is it that the only thing I can think of is the last time we were here for a reception?" He grinned at her before he squeezed her hand and they walked toward the house.


	10. The More Things Change

He saw so many of the same faces that had been in his mother's parlor for Hank and Sarah's reception and couldn't help but feel an odd sense of déja vu. He half way expected to see Sarah standing on the stairs as she threw her bouquet and Ginger looking absolutely mortified that she caught it. He tried not to look for Hank in his Sunday suit with his top collar button undone, tie already loosened and dancing his first dance with Sarah to "It's Been A Long, Long Time".

In deference to his brother, when he and Ginger were deciding what records to play at their reception Jeff made sure that that particular song would not be anywhere near the phonograph. He knew it would be hard enough for his older brother to be back in the house where his own reception had been and he wanted to make it as easy for him as he could.

Charlie was there, as he'd been two years earlier but this time he was with Gina. Linda was there of course, solo again even though Ginger told her to bring Phil. But his sister demurred telling them that Phil was her boss and didn't think it was appropriate to invite her boss to her brother's wedding.

His mother again played hostess and Jeff could see how much she enjoyed being home and wondered if she ever got homesick for River Run. But even if she did she would never admit it, not even to Al. _He_ was an addition this time around and helped Jeff's mother as much as she would let him. And because they were circulating around the parlor making sure that everyone had fresh punch and cake Hank took on the job of looking after Michael.

He was taken upstairs before the guests arrived and every so often Al, Linda, Hank or his mother would check on him. But he must have gotten tired of being left alone because a couple of hours later he started to cry and wouldn't stop.

But no sooner did Hank go upstairs again that Michael stopped crying and a few minutes later came down with his baby brother in the crook of his arm. He was singing the Lemo Tomato Juice song to him and the baby was smiling.

"You have a way with that kid Hank; he's really taken to you." Al commented with a smile of his own as he met them at the bottom of the stairs.

"Well I've kind of taken to him too." He replied with a smile for his brother.

"I hate to ask but it sure would ease your mother's mind for the rest of the afternoon if you would look after Michael. He's obviously comfortable with you and you have a way with him that eases my mind too. What do you say?"

Jeff watched his brother and could almost see the jumbled thoughts racing around in his brain. "Sure."

"Thanks a million Hank. And just in time too, Ann needs me at the front door." And he went to meet Jeff's mother.

"Should I ask if you're settling things with Al?" Jeff asked as he approached his brothers.

"I don't know about settling things Jeff, but I think that maybe I can work on it. Now that I've met Michael, I'd kind of like to get to know him and if it means that I have to bury the hatchet with Al to do it I think I can."

"That's swell and I know it will make Mom happy to hear it too." He smiled as he heard a knock at the kitchen door. He looked at Hank and his older brother looked as puzzled as Jeff felt. "I better go see who it is."

"Nothing doing little brother. This is your reception and you shouldn't be answering the door." Hank grinned at him and walked into the kitchen. Jeff followed him to the side door and was surprised to see Abe and Gloria Davis standing there.

"Why didn't you come to the front door?" He asked and could have kicked himself for it.

"Gloria and I didn't feel that it would be appropriate." Was all Mr. Davis said.

"We were so pleased that you thought of us and it meant the world to Abe to receive your invitation. We've never been to a Catholic service and it was something to behold." Mrs. Davis smiled at him.

"You were there?" Jeff asked and wondered why he hadn't seen them.

"We stayed in the vestibule," Mr. Davis explained. "We didn't want to take any attention away from your special day."

Jeff knew what he meant and it bothered him, a lot. "Well the important thing now is that you're here, please come in."

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid we can't stay." Mrs. Davis looked disappointed as she handed a beautifully wrapped package to him. "We did, however want to drop off your wedding gift with our best wishes."

"You didn't need to do this." He told them.

"Yes we did. You did us the honor of inviting us to your wedding and a thoughtful guest brings a gift." Mr. Davis said to him.

"You'd still be welcome to come back later if you like when there aren't so many people here." Hank chimed in as he bounced Michael in his arms. "I know that Mom and Al would like to see you and you could spend some time with my little brother here."

"I was wondering who this little angel was." Mrs. Davis smiled.

"This is Michael Kahn." Hank introduced him. "He was named for Mike Sloan."

"I remember hearing something about that." Mr. Davis commented. "Ruth Sloan helped this little one into the world, didn't she?"

"Yes Sir she did." He smiled.

"You seem to be quite the dotting brother Hank." Mrs. Davis said to him. "And he seems to have taken to you."

Hank grinned. "That's what everyone keeps telling me."

"It's just a shame that all of you are so far apart." She added.

"Well now that he's been home, maybe we can talk him into coming home more Mrs. Davis." Jeff quipped. "And the same goes for Mom and Al. We'd kind of like to see Michael grow up too."

"In God's own time." She smiled.

"Jeff, where on earth did you disappear to?" Jeff heard Ginger's voice as she walked into the kitchen and turned around. "And why don't you invite the Davis's in for heaven's sake. They'll think your mother didn't teach you any manners."

"We've already explained to Jeff and Hank that we can't stay. But we _will_ think about coming back later." Mr. Davis smiled at Ginger and it looked as though Mrs. Davis was trying not to laugh.

"Please do. There is enough food out there to feed Patton's Third Army." She laughed and took Jeff's arm. "We were sorry that you weren't able to make it to the wedding."

"They _were_ there Ginger." He knew that she would understand his meaning so didn't elaborate.

This was a situation that Jeff always had trouble with because his mother raised Hank, Linda and him to treat everyone they met with respect and she never made the distinction between Negro and white. But not everyone in River Run was raised the way that they were and it made for uncomfortable situations like the very situation with Abe and Gloria Davis.

"Well, it's time that Gloria and I say goodbye, you've got other guests to look after." Mr. Davis said to them. "Thank you for thinking of us Jeff, it's something that we won't forget."

"When you get back from your honeymoon, please come see us at Rupert's and have a meal on the house." Mrs. Davis added. "Anything on the menu."

"We'll take you up on that Mrs. Davis but you have to let us pay for it." Ginger insisted. "It's only right."

Mr. Davis cut his wife off because Jeff could see that she was about to protest. "Now Mother, we can't turn a profit if we're going to be giving meals away."

"I know, but." She conceded with a smile. "As for you Hank, if you have some time tomorrow I'm planning on baking a cobbler if you're interested. The coffee is always fresh and you'd be welcome."

Hank looked a little surprised but he accepted. "Thank you Mrs. Davis, I'll be there."

"Congratulations again Jeff to you and your lovely bride." Mr. Davis put his arm around Mrs. Davis' shoulders. "I've had many happy years with this woman and if the two of you find just a small measure of what we've had together; you'll be very lucky indeed."

"Able Davis." His sincerity seemed to fluster her. "What a thing to say."

"Mother is a little bashful when I pay her a compliment, but she knows I mean every word." He explained as he patted her shoulder. "We'll see you sometime tomorrow Hank and we'll see the two of you when you get back."

They said goodbye and watched as they walked down the driveway and turned up the sidewalk.

"I wish they could have stayed." Jeff sighed.

"I know slugger so do I, but it's not time yet." Hank looked at him with regret.

"Well aren't you two a couple of Gloomy Gusses. Jeff, they came all this way to congratulate us and give us a gift and I think it was swell of them to come, even if it was only for a few minutes."

"They came to our kitchen door." Jeff stated.

"But they came and that's all that matters." She looked at them with exasperation. "Rome wasn't built in a day you know and this will take some time too." She finished by turning around on her heel and walking back out to the parlor.

He heard Hank behind him, laughing. "You're going to have your hands full with her little brother. And you wouldn't have it any other way."

"You've got that right." He answered as they followed her out of the kitchen to rejoin their family in the parlor.


	11. Epilogue

Hank Metcalf stood with his mother, sister and brother on the steps outside Saint Matthew's after Sunday Mass. It was the same as it was for all the Sundays he could remember growing up. The difference was the brother with him that Sunday morning was Michael.

The family said goodbye to Jeff and Ginger the afternoon before and _they_ were now waking up at Lake Ichiwana. It was the place they were supposed to go for their honeymoon when they were engaged the first time and instead it was where Michael was born.

It seemed to Hank that he hadn't gone far without his baby brother over the last two days. _That_ was because of Mom and Al and it was as though they were trying to make up for lost time. Hank never saw Michael until he came home for Jeff's wedding and they seemed to want him to spend as much time with his baby brother as he could before he had to leave again.

So it wasn't a surprise that Hank again had Michael in his arms.

Friends of his mother were stopping to say hello and ask her how things were going in New Jersey. Those that were at the wedding the day before told her what a nice time they had and how happy they were that her son was finally married.

They also fussed over Michael and in turn made the baby fussy. Hank could feel his little body tense every time someone wanted to pinch his cheek or ruffle his hair. He seemed to turn toward his older brother for comfort and Hank could see his face beginning to turn red.

"He's getting ready to cry ." Al stated as he stood next to him.

"It looks that way." Hank agreed.

"I know all of these nice ladies mean well, but I don't think Michael cares for it too much." He answered.

"I won't argue with you there."

It had been an interesting couple of days for Hank because he was given the opportunity to see his mother with Al. He was a young boy when his own father died but he was old enough to remember that Steven Metcalf didn't treat her with the deference that Al Kahn did. It was clear to him now how much Al loved his mother and he couldn't ever remember seeing her so completely happy.

They had their differences of course and it was because of those differences that his mother resisted becoming involved with him for so long. But he thought he understood now that Mom never would have been with him if she didn't love him, deeply. He also knew that if Al Kahn hadn't come to River Run his mother would still be a widow with her grown children living at home.

She always said that everything happened for a reason and he supposed that his father dying when they were so young was meant to be. It meant that he and Linda and Jeff would never know what a bad husband he was to their mother and how he broke his marriage vows to her. It had been a shock to hear it from her but it was only because of her love and respect for Al that she wanted her oldest son to know that his own father wasn't the Paragon of Matrimony that she'd led her children to believe. But she did it because he _was_ their father.

"And I thought we could take Michael for a walk before you have to leave." Hank heard Al's voice and was pulled back from his reverie.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you." He said and looked down at his brother who was sound asleep.

Al smiled. "You seemed about a million miles away."

"More like twenty _years_." Hank answered with a smile of his own. "What were you saying?"

"Your mother wants to go back to the house and start packing because we have to get going ourselves pretty soon. But I thought that since Mrs. Davis made the offer of fresh cobbler and coffee to you, we could take Michael over to Rupert's and have a couple of slices. What do you say?"

To be honest, Hank wasn't sure how he felt about spending any more time with the man that he still held partly responsible for Sarah's death. But the fact of the matter was, Al _was_ his mother's husband and he knew that it was past time to let go of the anger and animosity that he still harbored. Al was making a real effort to make him a part of Michael's life because it was something that was important to him and to Michael's mother, _his_ mother.

"Sure." He finally said.

"We don't have to do this, I understand." Al seemed to sense the reason for Hank's hesitation and was willing to back out. "I can take Michael back to the house with me and you can go by yourself."

He shook his head. "Rupert's isn't that far from here. I walked over there after you and Mom got married and it's how I found out that the Davis's bought the place."

Al looked relieved and grateful that Hank didn't tell him to take a flying leap. "That son of mine will probably sleep through the whole thing. In fact, he seems to sleep when ever you've got him."

"I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing." Hank couldn't help but smile.

"It's a good thing Hank, trust me. Your mother has slept better in the last two days because Michael doesn't wake her up crying." Al admitted. "But I think being back in the house has helped her sleep too."

"Do you ever think about coming back?"

Al nodded. "Sure I do, I think about it every day. Your mother misses this place and living in her own house, though she'd never admit it. But the reason we left here in the first place is that I couldn't get a job and I don't see that changing any time soon. I _would_ like Michael to grow up here. It's not perfect but this is where he was born and it's where he should grow up."

"It _was_ a swell place to grow up."

"Hopefully he'll be able to find out." Al told him with a sigh as Hank's mother approached. "Al, we're going back to the house now. Please say hello to the Davis's for me and buy a piece of Mrs. Davis' cobbler. Hank, I can take Michael if you're getting tired of holding him."

"We're fine Mom. Al and I will keep an eye on him so that you can get ready and not worry about him."

"Thank you Hank, just don't be too long. We have a long drive ahead of us." She kissed her oldest son's cheek and the downy head of her youngest.

"We won't be long Ann, I promise." Al reassured her and kissed her cheek. "I just want Michael to see something of River Run while we're here."

"All right. We'll see you back at the house." And she followed Linda to the car.

Hank started down the steps with a sleeping Michael in his arms and turned up the sidewalk. They headed toward Rupert's and the silence between them was almost companionable. There was so much anger for the longest time and he didn't want to be angry anymore. Not with Jeff and Ginger newly married from the very church they were walking away from.

"She didn't love me the way I loved her." Hank said suddenly and it seemed to lift a weight off of his heart.

"What are you talking about? She was crazy about you from what I could see." Al seemed surprised at his sudden admission.

"She met someone when I was overseas and really fell for him. She told me it was over after I came home and maybe it was, but I always had the feeling that she never really got over him."

"How did you know? Did Sarah tell you?" He seemed genuinely curious.

"We were making plans for our wedding and she wanted to show me the receipts for the things she'd bought." Hank began in way of explanation. "What she didn't realize was that there was a poem mixed in that he'd given her and I read it. I talked to her about it and she tried to pass it off as a crush but when I look back at it now, it had to have been more."

"Hank, are you saying that she settled for you?" Al frowned.

He nodded. "I think she did. I'm not saying that she didn't love me because I think she did, but I don't think that she was in love with me the way she was before I shipped out."

"Why tell _me_ this?"

"Because I've been watching you with Mom and Jeff with Ginger these last couple of days and Sarah and I didn't really have what you do. At the time I thought it was that she was adjusting to living in a full house after having her own room and her privacy. She always hesitated when I wanted to make love because she didn't want anyone to hear. She never kissed me first, but she did always kiss me back. She never took my hand or put her arm around me unless I did it first." He sighed. "It just makes me wonder what kind of a marriage we would have ended up with."

Al didn't seem to know what to say. "I'm not exactly the guy to hash this out with because my first marriage didn't work. But from what I knew of your wife, she didn't strike me as the type to have married you if she didn't really love you. So why bring this up now?"

"Because I've had time to think about it. One of the reasons that I left River Run was that I couldn't live in the same house with the man I held responsible for Sarah's death. But I also couldn't sleep in the bed we shared or the same room. A fresh coat of paint on the walls couldn't change that which I learned pretty fast. The move to Chicago gave me the chance to step back from everything that happened and gave me the time to sort things through to see them as they really were. What finally did it for me was to see my mother and my brother together with the people they love."

"I've never met a woman as wonderful as your mother. She's as strong in her faith as she is in her life. After she came down with polio the hardest thing for her to do was ask for help, from any of us. She was so used to taking care of her children and me that she didn't know how to let anyone else take care of her."

"But she learned."

Al smiled. "To a point. You know how stubborn your mother can be and sometimes she would have to find out for herself that she couldn't do something even when she thought she could."

"I don't think I ever thanked you for calling me every day to let me know how she was doing. I didn't worry as much because of that."

"That's what family does Hank. You are my wife's oldest son and you weren't here when it happened. And the last thing I wanted was for you to feel as though you didn't matter because you were so far away."

"I appreciate that Al, thank you."

"For better or worse we're family and Michael makes it official."

"That he does." Hank smiled and checked on his sleeping brother.

"Out like a light, what did I tell you." Al smiled and ran a hand over the baby's head and laughed softly. "If we're lucky he'll look like your mother when he gets older."

Hank looked around and realized with a start that they were in front of Rupert's.

"You have radar when it comes to this place." Al joked.

"They had the best chicken fried steak in the city." He remembered. "The last time I was here the Davis's hadn't opened this place back up yet. Mrs. Davis told me that it would be a while before they could afford to offer it, but as long as I can have a piece of her cobbler I'll be happy."

"Don't let me forget that your mother wants a piece of cobbler to take back with us." He commented as the front door opened with a jingle and Abe Davis stood there with a long cook's apron on.

"Welcome to Rupert's. Gloria just took her cobbler out of the oven and a fresh pot of coffee is brewing." He told them with a smile. "Please come in and make yourselves comfortable."

"Thank you Mr. Davis. " Hank smiled. "And if you can spare it, Al would like a piece of cobbler to go for my mother."

"Thanks for remembering that Hank." Al clapped him on the back.

"That's what family does Al." He quipped before Al followed him inside.

THE END.


End file.
